Although I understand the point he is trying to put across, I believe that there are exceptions when you can visit a person you met online without ever meeting them physically. A person just has to be smart about it, that's all. Many Nigerians have reacted rather rashly to the news of Cynthia's death: deactivating all their social media profiles and going on endless rants on the dangers of social media. Social media like many other things out there has its cons. It also has numerous advantages such as connecting people (be it family, friends, business partners, etc) all around the world. It also exposes us to various viewpoints, ideas and opinions as well as allows us to express our thoughts and ideas like I am doing in this post. What about the numerous people who make a living off social media? Let's not forget about them.
I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, but it is a bad idea to meet a stranger in a less than public space. By public space, I mean a place where you and this stranger whom you think you know so well aren't alone. Examples include restaurants, amusement parks, a mall, a museum, you get the point!!
I started my Facebook profile when I was around 17 years old. In my FB noob days, I just wanted to increase my friend list and I would add friends, friends of friends, friends of friends' friends', etc. I would also chat with a few regularly. I continued to chat with this dude for almost a year, until it happened that we were going to be in Port Harcourt at the same time. He wanted to meet up with me at Mr. Biggs and I agreed. I gave him my dad's phone number so he could speak with me because I did not have a Nigerian cellphone. He called one day and I wasn't present. I don't know how the conversation with him and my dad transpired but my dad got to know about our planned meetup and all hell broke lose. That was the end of that friendship.
I am more grown up now, but that experience taught me one thing: stranger danger. Meeting an unknown man in a hotel is a bad idea even if you live in the safest country on earth (Iceland, by the way). Here are a few tips to keep you safe online:
-Be selective about who you accept as a friend
-Do not list your personal email address on your profile
-Assume that everything you post online is permanent
-Click links with caution
-Review your privacy settings frequently
-Exhibit caution when posting your location online
-Don't allow the public to have access to your m/d/yr of birth
Social media can be dangerous but it also has numerous benefits. Staying safe online is important and should not be taken for granted. Share as much or as little information as you please. To a large extent, you call the shots.
RIP Cynthia.
